Matthew Goode's most recent series, Dept. Q on Netflix, hit the streamer on May 29, 2025. The 9-episode crime drama/murder mystery was intriguing overall. It's only been two weeks since the show came out, so it's not a surprise that there hasn't been any news about a renewal yet. Sometimes, the streaming service is quick to hand out a renewal, while other times it takes a while. However, the latest move made by the platform may indicate high chances for a second season.
Emmys 2025 are coming up soon in September, and the awards show was taking submissions for consideration so that we can get that list of nominations soon. The series premiered just a couple of days before the cut-off for eligibility, and the streamer submitted Dept. Q to be considered in the Best Drama category just a little bit before that window closed, per TVLine.
The news outlet also reports that Netflix also submitted Goode, who played Carl Morck, and Chloe Pirrie, who took on the role of Merritt Lingard, for the Best Actor and Best Actress in a Drama Series categories, respectively. Personally, I don't think the chances of the show and actors winning are going to be very high compared to the others vying for a win in the same category. Those include Severance, The White Lotus, The Last of Us, The Diplomat, The Pitt, and Andor. However, submitting the cold case crime drama in the first place is a good indicator for its future.
What Dept. Q's Emmys submission means for the Netflix series' future
Even if it doesn't make it into the actual nominations list, or it does it probably won't win, the fact that Netflix even thought to submit Dept. Q most likely means that the streamer is confident in the show and probably wants to bring it back for more. Why is that the case? Well, it would certainly be very strange for the platform to want enter it into this year's Emmys, even after it already submitted The Diplomat, just to go and cancel it. It just doesn't make sense, which is why we're thinking that this is a good sign for a potential Dept. Q season 2.
Again, this is all speculation at this point. So we'll have to wait and see what the future holds. However, the murder mystery is based on a book series by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, and there's still a lot more material to pull from. Plus in speaking with Collider, showrunner Scott Frank shared that he has ideas for a second season, should they get it. Here's what he told the news outlet:
'I’ve got a great idea for a second season. It is another cold case and also a current case, at the same time, that they’re looking into. I might just do six next time. We’ll see. But I do know what I want to do next. I do have the story in mind for the next season.”
I definitely agree that if Dept. Q season 2 did happen, it definitely needs to be cut down shorter. Nine episodes for the first season was way too long. For me personally, the story got a little too complicated and there were too many side characters to throw us off the trail of who kidnapped Merritt that kind of made me lose interest in the show.
And then the reveal of who has been keeping her locked up felt kind of silly. But, I think if the writers can tighten up the story and, like Frank said, shorten the episode count, I think it has a lot of potential to be better. And who knows, perhaps if it does get into the nominations list, it'll surprise us at the 2025 Emmys!
Dept. Q season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.